BOSTON — When the Detroit Pistons entered the visiting locker room at halftime of Thursday night's game against the Boston Celtics, it looked like they had a chance to not only shock the world but avoid landing in a dubious place in the history books in the process.
Detroit, which entered the game as a 16.5-point underdog after losing 27 consecutive games, found itself leading Boston — the NBA's best team with a perfect 14-0 record at TD Garden — by 19 points.
Then the second half began. And as quickly as Detroit had taken control of the game, Boston surged right back into it. By the end of the third quarter, the Celtics had erased that 19-point halftime deficit.
And despite the Pistons fighting back valiantly to force overtime, ultimately it was Boston that would claim a 128-122 victory after the five-minute extra session.